Main Concepts:

These are the features and concepts we will be focusing on in this project:

• Multipass rendering from a 3D program

• Combining the diffuse, specular, and reflective properties of a surface

• Alpha edge issues

• Transfer modes

• Track mattes

• Faking light wrap and edge feather

• Comp snapshots

• Adjustment layers

• Conforming frame rates

• Nesting comps

• Displacement Map effect (PB) (optional)

• Compound Blur effect (PB) (optional)

• FE Vector Blur (optional)

Requirements:

After Effects 4.1 or later standard version; Production Bundle recommended.

Third-party effects: FE Vector Blur (free on the Creating Motion Graphics CD in the Free Plug-ins folder) is an optional replacement for the Production Bundle.

Getting Started:

Inside the Tutorials master folder on the accompanying CD, locate and copy the folder 05_Mechanic to your hard drive.

In the folder Final Movie inside this folder, double-click on and play Mechanic.mov.

Inside the Project folder you ll find the finished After Effects project file Mechanic.aep. Open the project file that is appropriate for your version of After Effects: 4.1 or 5, Standard (S) or Production Bundle (PB). This is your starting point; we suggest you save under a new name after each major section.

If you do not have the Production Bundle, but do have the book Creating Motion Graphics, install the free effect FE Vector Blur as a workaround for Step 26.

Credits:

The artwork for...